[2] See what to do with leftover buttermilk, below (photo © Wisconsin Cheese).

[3] If you only need a bit, you can make your own buttermilk. See how in the footnote† below (photo CCO Public Domain).

[4] You can enjoy a glass of buttermilk plain, or with some fresh herbs like cilantro, dill, or parsley (photo CCO Public Domain).

[5] A jar of Sarabeth’s preserves is a treat for biscuits and a welcome small gift. Here, peach apricot preserves (photo © Sarabeth’s).

Centuries ago cooks discovered that the acid in buttermilk reacts with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide bubbles. Buttermilk became a must-have ingredient to create light, tender, highest-rising biscuits, bread and muffins, pancakes, and layer cakes.

It’s Sunday and September is National Biscuit Month. What more worthy activity is there than baking a batch of biscuits for breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

Up until the mid-20th century, many families who had cooks (or very energetic moms) looked forward to hot buttermilk biscuits at the breakfast table.

This recipe, from specialty food doyenne Sarabeth Levine, goes equally well with fresh butter or with Sarabeth’s delicious jams and preserves (we’re particularly fond of her blood orange marmalade).

Do you remember this tongue-twister from childhood: A batch of biscuits/a batch of mixed biscuits/a biscuit mixer? Say it several times quickly.

Then, check out this recipe and whip up some fragrant, tender biscuits.

> May 14th is National Buttermilk Biscuit Day.

> The history of biscuits and the difference between biscuits and rolls.
 
 
SARABETH’S BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Did you know that you can make buttermilk from regular milk, just by adding lemon juice or vinegar? See the instructions in the footnote† below.

Ingredients For 16 Biscuits

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. SIFT & MIX. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer. Attach the bowl to the mixer and fit with the paddle attachment. Add the butter. Mix on low speed until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with some pea-size pieces of butter. Add the buttermilk, mixing in just until the dough barely comes together.

3. KNEAD. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until the dough is smooth. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and roll it out to ¾ inch thick or slightly thicker.

4. CUT. Using a 2-¼ inch fluted biscuit cutter (you can substitute a round cookie cutter), dipping the cutter into flour between cuts, cut out the biscuits and place 1 inch apart on the pan. Gently press the scraps together (do not overhandle the dough). Repeat rolling and cutting.

5. BAKE. Bake until the biscuits are well risen and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve hot or warm. To reheat the biscuits, wrap them in aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.

 
WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER BUTTERMILK

Many people who buy buttermilk for baking lament that it only comes in quarts, not pints. A cup is generally enough for any recipe. Buttermilk is expensive.

But you don’t need to waste the leftover buttermilk.

Drink It

If you like yogurt or kefir, buttermilk has similar flavors. If you don’t like yogurt, you have friends who might appreciate the buttermilk.

Freeze It

In our recent article on other things to do with your ice cube tray, we suggested freezing buttermilk.

 
Substitute It

Buttermilk can also be substituted for whole milk or skim milk in many recipes, from baked goods, frozen desserts, and puddings to sauces and soups.
 
Use It In A Marinade Or Breading

The acidic properties of buttermilk make it a tenderizing and flavorful marinade. Hunters soak fresh venison in buttermilk overnight to reduce the gamy taste.

Also use it to adhere to the breading for fish, meat, and poultry.

There are scores of recipes where buttermilk’s richness is welcome.

 
 
BUTTERMILK: JUST 80 CALORIES

Unlike butter, for which it is named, buttermilk is low in calories. Like nonfat milk, nonfat (skim) buttermilk has 80 calories per cup and the same amount of protein, calcium, other minerals, and vitamins as conventional milk.

__________________________

*BAKED FISH RECIPE. Ingredients for two portions: 1 pound cod or other white fish fillets, 1/2 cup sherry, 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill, 1 cup buttermilk (regular or nonfat), salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste. Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Add the sherry and mushrooms to a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sherry has evaporated. Place the fillets in a single layer in a baking dish and top with the mushrooms. Sprinkle the dill, salt, and pepper. Pour the buttermilk over the fillets and bake for 20 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Vary the spices to your liking: for example, lemon or orange zest or chili flakes for heat.

†HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK RECIPE. For 1 cup of buttermilk, combine 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice with enough whole milk to measure 1 cup.
 
 

Yesterday we discussed the best cuts of steak to choose at a steakhouse. What if you want to grill at home?

Whether at home or at a restaurant, how rare or well done you like your meat can impact your choice of cut. As meat cooks, the fibers break down: That’s why medium-well-done meat is easier to chew than rare meat of the same cut. However, the more done the meat, the less juicy it is.

Some of the tougher cuts, like hanger steak, can’t be cooked rare: You need to go with medium to avoid the chewiness.

GRILLING TIMES FOR STEAK

In general, medium rare is considered to deliver the best flavor. However, your preference also depends on the size and thickness of the steak.
 
Filet Mignon

Filet mignon is best served rare or medium rare.

 
Porterhouse

Porterhouse is best served medium rare to medium.

 
Rib Eye

Rib eye is best served medium rare.

 
Sirloin

Sirloin is best served medium rare to medium.

WHERE TO BUY, WHAT TO BUY

For USDA prime beef, opt for the best local butchers rather than chain grocery stores, says Chef McLeod. Some grocery stores don’t even carry choice, the second best grade of beef (see the different USDA grades of beef). You won’t know unless you ask.

Request aged beef; however, not all butchers and stores sell aged beef. Call around to see who has it in your area; or order it online from companies like Allen Brothers.

Most butchers don’t carry the same quality of meat as a top steakhouse. Even thought they might like to, only 3% of the typical steer is USDA prime, and top restaurants compete that small amount of meat.

Chef McLeod advises to buy porterhouse or New York strip steaks: They’re the better offering at your local butcher.

Before you buy, he advises:

Porterhouse: filet mignon and sirloin, separated by a T-shaped bone (hence, its other name, T-bone steak). Photo courtesy AllenBrothers.com.

 
HOW TO COOK YOUR STEAK

 
If you have questions for Chef McLeod, use the Contact Us link on this page.

Check out the many cuts of beef in our Beef Glossary.

Chewy, juicy, flavorful: What’s your preference? We asked Chef Arturo McLeod of Benjamin Steakhouse in New York City and White Plains New York—someone who has perhaps eaten as much steak as anyone—for an expert point of view.

His immediate preference: “Porterhouse steak, for sure. Comprising both the strip sirloin and the filet mignon, the Porterhouse is the ‘King of the T-Bones‘— the best of both worlds.

Benjamin Steakhouse offers six cuts of dry-aged beef, from 36-ounce porterhouses to top sirloins to juicy and tender rib eyes to succulent filet mignon. This is part one of a two-part article. Tomorrow: how to buy and cook the best steak.

WHICH CUT IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

In alphabetical order, we present the chef’s choices: the four most popular steakhouse cuts:

Of all the prime cuts, filet mignon has the least marbling. This means that it is leaner and does not have as much flavor as the other cuts. But is also incredibly tender, with almost a buttery texture. Because this cut is so thick, it also takes the longest to prepare, especially when ordered medium-well to well-done. (Editor’s Note: Well done filet mignon? Say it isn’t so!)

Porterhouse

The most popular cut at Benjamin Steakhouse, the porterhouse includes the filet and the sirloin, with the T-bone in the middle (it’s also called a T-bone steak). The Porterhouse is best served simply, grilled with just a dusting of kosher salt. The largest cut, it can be divided among two, three, or four people—or one extremely hungry carnivore.

Porterhouse is the ideal meat for grilling because the center bone conducts heat in the middle of the meat. This enables the steak to cook more evenly and prevents the meat from drying out and shrinking during cooking. For people who don’t like to struggle with the bone: At Benjamin Steakhouse, the porterhouse is served pre-sliced and presented on a piping hot platter, so that it literally sizzles as it is being served.

Of all the cuts on the menu, the rib eye steak has the most marbling, which means it is fattier but also has the most flavor. It is this marbling that makes the rib eye the richest and beefiest cut. At Benjamin Steakhouse, it is also served on the bone.

Sirloin

Sirloin has medium marbling, so it still delivers a nice, juicy flavor. The flavor is not as robust as the rib eye, but it is much easier to trim. There are no large pockets of fat, making it an easy-to-cook, easy-to-eat cut.

Benjamin’s serves the sirloin on the bone, which helps it to cook more evenly. Chefs and customers alike agree that any steak cooked on bone—even though it’s on the side, not in the center as with porterhouse—produces a more flavorful piece of meat.

Porterhouse: Combining filet mignon and sirloin, it’s the best of both worlds. Photo courtesy Allen Brothers.

Check out the many other cuts of beef in our Beef Glossary.
 

IS AGED STEAK WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY?

The best steakhouses use only USDA prime beef, carefully dry-aged in specially built aging boxes. The beef is chilled to a precise temperature and humidity level, for a minimum of 28 days.

The dry-aging process enhances the flavor of the steak over time, as moisture evaporates from within the beef. It also tenderizes the beef by allowing the tissues to break down.

This is a time-consuming, and therefore expensive, undertaking, but for a good reason: The key effect of the dry aging process is the concentration of flavor. Dry aged beef needs to be seasoned only with kosher salt, to allow the well developed flavors of the steak to shine.
  
TOMORROW: Grill your own steak with Chef MacLeod’s advice on buying and cooking.

Invite Fat Jack and Oktoberfest to a fall beer
tasting. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE
NIBBLE.

It was a reminder that it’s time to switch to “fall beer.” Just as cooks make lighter or heavier recipes based on the weather, so do brewers. Some of the delights of the fall season are pumpkin beer and other spiced beers.

These beers aren’t sweet pumpkin pie, but you can certainly serve them with the pie. No matter how you serve them, you’re in for a treat: The pumpkin adds body, smoothness and richness to the beer, and the seasonal spices add complex notes.

One of Samuel Adams’ Small Batch Series, Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale adds 28 pounds of pumpkin to each barrel, along with allspice, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, The AVB* is a hefty 8.5% (by comparison, Budweiser is 5% ABV). Along with toasty smoked malts, this delectable brew salutes fall with layers and layers of flavor.

So when you’re next at the supermarket, roll down the beer aisle and see what fall treats await. Entertain your friends with a fall beer tasting to determine the best pumpkin beer, spiced beer, and other types you find.

CRAFT BEER TRENDS

Industry reports from chain stores selling beer across the USA show that:

 
DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BEER?

Check out our Beer Glossary.
 
 
*Alcohol by volume.

†A SKU, pronounced “skew” and short for stock-keeping unit, is a number/code used to identify each unique product or item for sale in a store. Different sizes of the exact same product (8 ounces versus 16 ounces, for example) are different SKUs.

But it’s still warm out; and this recipe from Vermont Creamery, served with fromage blanc sorbet, is worth your attention.

MANGO GAZPACHO RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. GAZPACHO: Place all ingredients except the orange zest in a large bowl or container overnight. Adjust seasonings in the morning. If the mixture is too chunky, pulse half of it with an immersion blender or a hand mixer.

2. SORBET: Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and put in freezer 2 hours before serving. Use a small melon baller or sorbet scoop. Place sorbet on top of gazpacho.

 
Find more of our favorite soup recipes.